Bookmakers hit for more than £1million as Seattle Seahawks hammer the Denver Broncos in one-sided Super Bowl

Peyton Manning was feeling as bad as the bookies after the defeat to the Seattle Seahawks (Picture: Reuters)

Bookmakers are licking their wounds after paying out more than £1million as the Seattle Seahkawks won last night’s Super Bowl.

Ladbrokes went into the big game at the MetLife Stadium in New York wanting the Denver Broncos to win, even though they were the heavy favourites, in order to avoid forking out the seven-figure sum.

In the end of a lopsided 43-8 win for the Seahawks it turned out to be their biggest ever NFL payout.

It was bad news from the first play of the game from scrimmage as the ball flew over the head of Denver quarterback Peyton Manning and into the end zone to give Seattle a 2-0 lead.

It was the third year in a row that there was a safety in the Super Bowl and the second time in that span that it was the first score of the game.

Ladbrokes paid out £20,000 alone to punters who took the 80/1 on lightning striking again while Mark Cuba, owner of NBA team the Dallas Mavericks tweeted he had won $20m (£12m) on the play only to later suggest he was joking.

It was an excellent night for Tipster followers as we flagged up the Seahawks for victory in our pre-game preview while also advising a big bet on Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch to score a touchdown and he duly obliged.

There was a frenzied night if betting in the other side of the Atlantic with Las Vegas sports books seeing money pile in on the Broncos all week.

They are expecting record turnover on the Super Bowl when the cash is counted today.

‘We’re grading our [bets] right now, but I can tell you already that we have never won as much in the Super Bowl since I’ve been here,’ said Golden Nugget sports book director Tony Miller.

‘This was by far the busiest Super Bowl I’ve been a part of in nearly 30 years of experience in Las Vegas.’

Prices have already been chalked up for next year’s Super Bowl in Arizona with Seattle 7/1 joint favourites with Ladbrokes along with Denver and the New England Patriots.